Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, resigned as speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates Tuesday to run as a candidate for the West Virginia Supreme Court.(File photo)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates resigned Tuesday after 20 years, choosing to run in a special election for a seat on the state Supreme Court.

House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, announced his resignation in a statement at noon Tuesday. He filed paperwork Tuesday to run for the special election for the Supreme Court of Appeals Division 1, which is the seat vacated by former justice Menis Ketchum.

“Because there is a little more than two months for me to connect with our citizens throughout the state before the election, I want to spend as much time as possible meeting West Virginians and earning their trust and their votes to represent them on their Supreme Court of Appeals,” Armstead said.